When asked about his experience establishing and running a tea cultivation business in The Republic of Georgia, Hannes Saarpuu, co-founder of Renegade Tea Estate, says with a smirk, “It has been one hell of a rollercoaster ride.”
Renegade runs three tea plantations called Renegade Estate (named for the company, it being the first estate established); Rioni Estate (named after the Rioni river which borders it); and Mandikori Estate (bearing the same name as the village where it is located). The estates are situated around a twenty-minute drive from the city of Kutaisi in the Imereti region of Western Georgia.
While the former Soviet satellite state is known for many things – its rolling hills, lush forest, free-flowing wine, fresh cheese, and warm hospitality – it is only recently becoming known again for producing flavorful teas…
